Victorio Luis Spinetto (3 June 1911 – 28 August 1990) was an Argentine football player and manager. He played as a

centre half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...

, mostly for Vélez Sársfield in the Argentine Primera División, debuting with the club in 1932 and retiring in 1940. After retiring, Spinetto took managerial duties in the team, and held the position for 14 years. Apart from his career in Vélez, Spinetto played briefly for Platense and Independiente, and managed several other teams, most notably the Argentina national football team (in a three-men staff during 1959, and alone in the period 1960–1961).

Early life

Victorio was born on 3 June 1911 in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

to Juan Bautista Luis Spinetto and Margarita María Batigne. He studied in the

Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires (''National School of Buenos Aires'') is a public high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, affiliated to the University of Buenos Aires. In the tradition of the European ''gymnasium'' it provides a free education ...

Playing career

Club

Spinetto started his career in Platense in 1932. That same year, Vélez Sársfield's executive José Amalfitani offered him to join the club for a salary of $30 Argentine pesos per match. The defender accepted, and debuted with the first team after only one game with the reserves. Spinetto's success was so quick that the club raised his salary to $250 monthly, and $30 for every point won by the team. Despite playing in the defensive position of

, Spinetto was a prolific goalscorer. He made a total 44 goals for Vélez, including four in a game against

Chacarita Juniors Club Atlético Chacarita Juniors (usually known simply as Chacarita) is an Argentine football club headquartered in Villa Crespo, Buenos Aires, while the stadium is located in Villa Maipú, General San Martín Partido of Greater Buenos Aires. T ...

in 1937, when he helped his team come back from a 0-2 to win 5-2. During his career, the defender rejected offers from Boca Juniors and Italian

AS Roma ' (''Rome Sport Association''), commonly referred to as Roma (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier of Italian football for all of its ...

, finally joining Independiente in 1938 for a $12,000 Argentine pesos transfer fee, plus the loan of a player. He played one year in Independiente, being part of the team that played against River Plate the first game in the Estadio Monumental's history. Upon his return to Vélez, in 1940 Spinetto was part of the team that was

relegated In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

from the Argentine first division for the first (and to date only) time in the club's history. Unable to recover from an injury, the defender retired subsequent to the relegation.

International

Spinetto played for the Argentina national football team between 1934 and 1936.

Coaching career

After his retirement, Spinetto took up the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

position in Vélez Sársfield, helping the team return to the first division in 1943. He also coached the team that was runner-up in the 1953 Argentine Primera División season. In 1959, he coached along

José Della Torre José Della Torre (born 23 March 1906 – 31 July 1979) was an Argentine footballer. He played as a right-back for Argentina in the 1930 FIFA World Cup final in 1930, which the team lost 4–2 to Uruguay. After retiring as a player, Della Tor ...

and José Barreiro the Argentina national football team that won the 1959 South American Championship. Spinetto also coached

Argentinos Juniors Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was recognized as one of the ...

in three periods (1962–1963, 1972–1973 and 1978), totaling 155 games. He then went on to coach in Vélez Sársfield's youth divisions until his death in 1990.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spinetto, Victorio 1911 births 1990 deaths Footballers from Buenos Aires Association football defenders Argentine footballers Argentine football managers Argentina international footballers Argentine Primera División players Club Atlético Platense footballers Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield footballers Club Atlético Independiente footballers Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield managers Club Atlético Atlanta managers Argentina national football team managers Club Atlético Huracán managers Argentinos Juniors managers Racing Club de Avellaneda managers Ferro Carril Oeste managers